Hasta La Gadget!

VideoLAN, the team behind the popular video player VLC, has launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise money to build a native app for Windows 8 and Windows RT. Currently, VLC runs in the desktop mode of Windows 8, but the team is hoping to create a new version that will use the “Metro” style of Microsoft’s new operating system.

The Kickstarter funds will allow team members of VideoLAN to work on the Windows 8 version full-time, while professional freelance designers will be hired to rework the user interface for Metro. As usual, the app will be free, so VideoLAN relies on donations rather than revenue to develop their products.

Once the campaign hits the £40,000 goal (around $64,100), VideoLAN expects to finish the port within three months of the campaign ending. However, there are some caveats to the project. First, an ARM-based version of VLC won’t be made available for Windows RT right away, but support will eventually arrive in a future update.

The team is also concerned that the app won’t even make it in the Windows Store, due to banned API calls in the app. Either way, it’s interesting that VideoLAN is asking for funds via Kickstarter, since they’ve long relied on optional donations from users. However, they mention that radically overhauling the program’s design is hard work and takes a lot of manpower, so the team is needing more resources than usual to pull off a Windows 8 and Windows RT app. Let’s hope that they come through.

VLC launches Kickstarter campaign for Windows 8 app is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Linux wizard Michael Larabel has been marking his benches over at Phoronix and in the process he’s proved that the Samsung Exynos 5 Dual processor — currently found in some of our favorite tablets and budget notebooks — is remarkably nifty with Ubuntu. The chip, which contains two Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.7GHz and a Mali-T604 GPU, was stacked up against the A9-based Tegra 3 from NVIDIA plus a few Intel Atoms to represent the x86 side of things. Although the various test rigs couldn’t be totally spec-matched in terms of RAM and storage, the scores were focused on pure computational grunt and they gave Samsung’s SoC a “surprising” lead. Check out the source link below and you’ll see that the majority of the graphs look similar to the one above, with the two weaker Atoms and the aging Tegra 3 being left for dust and only the Core i3, with its much higher wattage, being able to keep that Exynos ego in check — at least until the eight-core version gets here.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Samsung

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Source: Phoronix

Remember when you used to need a map or city guide in order to find what was best when you visited family or friends, or just moved to a new place? That’s so old school. The free SPUN app makes this all a thing of the past thanks to its geo-targeted “what’s happening” app.

SPUN uses a cool 3D interface that I find nice to use for navigating between its application panes. It currently delivers personalized news and cultural information for eleven cities in the USA, including New York, Boston, Philly, DC, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Portland, and Seattle.

Employing hundreds of media sources, the app aggregates results on dining, culture, lifestyle, news, entertainment and events, along with mapping of their locations. The app is designed to curate the best local content from a variety of leading digital publications. It can even remind you when events you like are coming up so that you’ll never miss them, and you can save favorite destinations so you can be alerted when you’re nearby.

You can get SPUN for free from iTunes.

The first thing you’re going to want to check out this morning is the Scandu Medical Tricorder – Star Trek and all – sort of. Then it’s all about the cars and all about the smartphones, unless you count the ever-so-lovely Basis health-tracking wristwatch. And before you head below, don’t forget to fall in to the most massive black hole in history.

A South Korean rocket was called off at launch – right down to the count-down, in fact. The Samsung Galaxy Note II launches this week on Verizon with 4G LTE: we’ll be bringing on some hands-on action to you very, very soon! The folks at Nintendo are apologizing for the Wii U and its update nightmare while the Wii Mini lurks in the shadows.

Over at the LA Car Show you’ll want to take a look at the Hyundai Veloster C3 concept as well as the brand new Volkswagen Beetle. The Porsche 2013 Cayman has also been revealed as well as the Jaguar XFR-S, complete with 550HP ready to cut you in half. Don’t forget the 2013 Fiat 400 Abarth Cabrio for your futuristic Asphalt racing.

According to a supply chain source, orders for the Microsoft Surface RT have been cut in half. The Wii U has been released in the UK just a bit earlier than expected. Sharp is in talks with Dell, Intel, and Qualcomm about $240 million bucks and the IGZO.

SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: November 29th, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

AT&T is adding another handset to its plethora of mobile devices. And the latest phone is no joke. It’s the Samsung Rugby III, the South Korean tech giant’s fifth-generation phone in the Rugby series. The Rugby III is a tough phone that can stand up to the challenges of the elements. It’s built using military specifications (810G specifications) and it is also waterproof, dust proof, and shock resistant.

The Rugby III sports a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a 3-megapixel camera. It also supports a variety of mobile resource management applications from AT&T and it also offers one-touch access to GPS Navigation through AT&T Navigator. What’s more is that the Rugby III is compatible with AT&T’s Enhanced Push to Talk (PTT) service. AT&T customers can pre-order the device on November 30. The Samsung Rugby III will be available on the 14th of December for the price of $99.99 on top of a two-year contract.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: BBM Video Headed For BlackBerry 10, AT&T Is Worst Rated Carrier In US,